Chapter 371 The Kind Of Woman
The girls who came looking for trouble hadn’t anticipated being confronted by the very men they were trying to impress. Instead, their plan backfired spectacularly. Rather than winning over Zhane and Dave, they only succeeded in earning their hostility. Meanwhile, Hera remained unfazed, calmly seated as if the entire exchange barely registered, protected by the two men who stood firmly at her side.
Hera glanced at the two women with indifference, not even bothering to stand. She had been ready to defend herself or perhaps throw a few sarcastic remarks to send them off, allowing everyone to proceed with the celebratory feast for Bry’s father’s new collaboration. However, the mood had already soured thanks to their unwelcome intrusion.
Hera hadn’t expected Dave and Zhane to step in before she could, but it seemed they had become fiercely protective of her. It dawned on her that she might have grown close enough to the male leads for them to now consider her "their person." While she wasn’t certain if the favorability of all the male leads was at the same level as it was with Dave and Zhane, she could safely assume that her bond with them was growing stronger.
What Hera didn’t realize was that Leo’s constant appearances and attempts to dominate the other male leads had actually caused their favorability toward her to skyrocket. Initially, they didn’t see each other as much of a threat, but once Leo entered the picture, everything changed. His presence made them feel that, no matter what they did, Leo had the upper hand and could easily win Hera over. This sense of rivalry pushed them to step up their game, fearing they wouldn’t be able to compete against Leo’s influence.
As a result, everyone began to step up their efforts, becoming more invested and increasingly possessive of her—something no one had expected to happen so quickly. Neither the male leads nor even Leo had fully realized what was unfolding. They all believed they were simply engaging in friendly competition to win over the woman they liked, unaware that their relationships were shifting into a complex dynamic of like and rivalry.
It was Leo who first became protective of Hera, a shift the male leads noticed during the Variety Show. Unconsciously, they began following his example, though this also led to frequent clashes with him whenever the opportunity arose—just like now. Leo, caught up in managing the chaos stirred by the five male leads, grew increasingly frustrated, as the distractions kept him from seeing Hera, even after several days.
All the male leads had caught on to his little tricks, but fortunately, they hadn’t caused any real damage to his personal life or company. Still, it was a sticky situation that had kept him glued to his office chair for days. Despite this, he had no intention of backing down or letting the five male leads off the hook for fighting back.
After all, while he decided not to be overly petty and aimed to be more magnanimous toward his rivals to avoid earning Hera’s disapproval, that didn’t mean he would let anyone walk all over him. As the five male leads continued to cause trouble for Leo, they also made sure to spend time with Hera, going so far as to plan ’accidental’ meet-ups—just like how Dave and Zhane conveniently showed up at the racecourse.